CSU leaders reach out to African American churches on Super Sunday, Feb. 12

SF State partnerships aim to address crisis in education

For the 12th year in a row, San Francisco State University will join the 22 other California State University (CSU) campuses in reaching out to historically African American churches throughout California during Super Sunday on Feb. 12.

Super Sunday is part of the CSU African American Initiative, a partnership between the CSU campuses and African American religious leaders with the goal of increasing college attendance and graduation rates among African American students. More than 100 churches are participating statewide. Alongside church leaders, SF State leaders will share information with churchgoers about the resources available to future students.

“Each year during Super Sunday, I’m reminded that SF State’s five core values of courage, life of the mind, equity, community and resilience are reflected in the hundreds of people we meet during these services,” said SF State President Les Wong. “As one of the most diverse campuses in the U.S., we are committed to raising awareness of the educational opportunities available at SF State, increasing enrollment of underrepresented minorities and increasing the graduation rates of all of our students.”

The Reverend Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church and national board member of the NAACP, said educational and community leaders must work together to eliminate the severe racial inequities that continue to plague our educational system. “Our enslaved ancestors, who risked life and limb to educate themselves in underground ‘pit schools’ buried beneath ground for safety, burned into our DNA the passion for education as a critical tool to liberate and uplift our communities, resisting our major obstacle, the unspeakable cruelty of our oppressors,” said Brown.

“We applaud Chancellor White and President Wong on this powerful partnership with our faith community leaders to insure that the doors of public education will remain open to support the aspirations of our coming generations. This collaboration is a model for addressing the crisis in Black education," he said.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Rev. Brown and President Wong will meet with the media at 9:30 a.m. at Third Baptist Church before the 10 a.m. service.

Third Baptist Church, 1399 McAllister St.

10 a.m. — SF State President Les Wong will deliver comments during the service

"Super Sunday is a dynamic opportunity to learn about how to go to college, pay for it and succeed when you are there,” said Kenneth P. Monteiro, Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies. “We are grateful to our church partners for hosting the California State University campuses,” he said.